Status

Summary

This enactment amends the Income Tax Act to allow the deduction of fees paid by an individual for his or her participation, or the participation of a dependant of the individual, in physical activity or amateur sport.

Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that I have been working on since about 1998. I am proud to admit that our provincial government and the federal government have adopted the bill in a very small way, allowing a small aspect of a tax credit for children under 16 who are involved in physical activities.

Our bill goes a lot further than that. If a person is a member of Nubody's, for example, or a gym and pays $300 to $400 a year or a month or whatever for that membership, I believe that membership should be tax deductible.

If people are members of a hockey team, a basketball team, a dance club or anything that gives them physical activity for which they need a membership, I believe the fees for that membership should be tax deductible, and not at 15%, but at the full amount, because that would encourage more and more Canadians to become physically active and would allow more Canadians to put, and I know the Conservatives love to hear this, more money in their pocket so they can spend on other aspects of their lives.

If we want to reduce health care costs and encourage greater community living, we need to get more Canadians physically active by allowing them to have a tax deduction on the fees that they pay for gym memberships, et cetera.